Families Saved by Sprinkler at Ignacio Condo Fire

An exterior fire sprinkler is being credited by fire officials with saving sleeping families from an early morning fire in Ignacio on Friday.

The said an improperly discarded cigarette or other smoking material on a condominium deck caused the blaze in the 200 block of Posada del Sol, just off Alameda del Prado.

A call about smoke and flames was made at 12:15 a.m. and crews responded to a three-story, wood-shingled condo complex on a hillside just west of Highway 101.

“Fortunately for these sleeping families, a single exterior fire sprinkler, located above the fire on a deck, activated and completely extinguished the fire,” the district said in a release.

Another resident activated a fire alarm to alert the families to evacuate the building, the district said.  

Fire crews confirmed the complete extinguishment of the fire and searched for hidden signs of fire with a thermal imaging camera donated by Fireman’s Fund Heritage Program. Finding no hidden fire, crews replaced the fire sprinkler head with a new one and placed the fire sprinkler system back in service.

Investigators determined the cause was improperly discarded smoking materials in a plastic bucket on the exterior deck.

There were no injuries, and 16 Novato firefighters responded.

Fire Marshal Battalion Chief Bill Tyler said sprinkler kept the fire from getting into the attic through the vents and prevented the fire from spreading.

“A single sprinkler head prevented a potentially catastrophic nighttime residential fire and limited the damage to the structure,” he said in the release. “The fire sprinkler did its job tonight. The families and property are all safe.”

The district said the $10 fire sprinkler “saved six people and $900,000 in property.”

The fire district requires fire sprinklers in all new construction and when substantial remodels are performed to existing residential and commercial buildings. On Jan. 1, the state adopted legislation that requires residential fire sprinklers in all new residential construction.

For many years, the Novato Fire District has taken a national role in advocating for fire sprinklers. Board of Directors President LJ Silverman said, “We’re gratified to hear our community was kept safe early this morning and we’re proud of the fact that Novato Fire has required these life-saving sprinklers for 26 years.”

The learn more about automatic fire sprinklers, go to www.homefiresprinkler.org.